


good fences make good neighbors

by brights (orphan_account)



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Post-Divorce, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:10:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7493301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/brights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a little robot, a young woman, and then there's Jack. Good neighbors come few and far between, but Rhys has a feeling that these neighbors will be nothing like any others that he's had.</p><p>Especially when he considers the fact that he <i>might</i> have a small crush on Jack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. jello molds, or lack thereof

**Author's Note:**

> * i'm currently in the process of rewriting this fic, so updates may or may not be slow!

A click of the door being unlocked, and he’s staring at who he assumes to be the man that was moving in next door. He looks much different up close, and if he were being honest, the man was just a bit intimidating. It wasn’t as if Rhys was going to just never go out and speak to him, it was more of a debate within himself as to how he should even begin to approach someone that’s just moved in. He’s always been very bad with new introductions and especially with timing, but he supposed that now was better than ever, right? He holds out his hand, smile plastered on his face, “Hey, you’re the guy that’s moving in next door, right? I’m Rhys, nice to meet you.” _Aaaand that probably sounded really, really bad_ , he thinks. It seems like a few seconds of silence are just enough to seem like minutes, and the older man smiles at him, and _oh, god_ , his smile just screams high dollar salesman, but at least it’s a smile. He’s got to be some sort of salesman.

Rhys feels like he’s been cursed with the worst luck with neighbors for the last few years, but it seems like this guy might be okay. _Maybe_ . Rhys still had doubts after the last neighbor moved out. He’s pretty sure that this man is stable, and he’s sure that he won’t move so soon, unless there’s something wrong with the house. That could explain a lot, but even so, he was certain it wasn’t a rental anymore, not that it should have been in the first place. He wasn’t sure about how many times he had told Vasquez, the realtor, that, and eventually, Rhys assumed that he listened, because there was a sign on top of the for sale sign that read _sold_ , in big, bold letters.

And speak of the devil, because Vasquez saunters up to the sign and pulls it out of the ground, waving at the man, “Hey, Jack, you like it? I wouldn’t have sold it outright, but ya know. We go way back, so, uh, enjoy the house. Call me if ya need anything.” Vasquez shoots finger guns at the man, and he does it back, so Rhys can only assume that they either really know each other, or Jack just paid that much money for the house, because Vasquez really hadn’t listened to Rhys. Of course. Back to the topic at hand, Rhys thinks.

So, his name was Jack.

“Yeah, yeah, Hugo, bye. I’m sure it’s fine, hasn’t changed much since I looked at it last week, other than my furniture and stuff being in there. Have a good day,” and the man _\--Jack--_ turns to Rhys and chuckles. “That guy’s a _dick_ , huh? Total douche.” Rhys laughs a bit and nods in agreement, because yeah, Vasquez is kind of a dick. Jack waves at him, watching as he begins to drive off, and Rhys notices Jack flipping a bird at Vasquez. Jack chuckles and turns toward Rhys again, “So, kiddo, since you know my name now and I know yours, you should come and check the place out, since we’re gonna be living next to each other. I’m gonna do some work to it, y’know, make it my own, since I own it now.” His eyes move to look at Rhys’s cybernetic arm, and his eyes widen a bit, “Whoa, that’s new, I wasn’t expecting cybernetics. You could use an upgrade, though.”

Rhys nods, commenting that he’s needed one for a while and that he’s just not been able to go and actually have it done, and he follows Jack as he heads toward the house next door. Jack walks him into the house, and there are movers everywhere. Now Rhys knows for a fact that this guy is well-off, because he’s never even seen someone hire movers, let alone the number of them that were in the house. Jack comments that it helps the move go a lot quicker and a lot smoother. As long as Rhys had lived in the area, he’d never had a neighbor actually invite him over, and it’s actually a pretty good size house, with an upstairs, downstairs, and the rooms were pretty big. Jack looks back at Rhys, who’s looking around, amazed at everything, and he tells him to ignore the mess, because they’re just setting up, and Rhys tells him that it’s not an issue, and they soon enter a room with a girl standing in the center, and she’s directing the movers, telling them where she wants things at. Rhys notices Jack watching her, and he looks _proud_. Must be his daughter, he thinks, and Jack confirms that when he looks at Rhys and tells him that she’s his baby girl and she’s always been so helpful.

“Angel, look, we have a neighbor,” Jack says, and Angel almost jumps when she turns around, her eyes wide, and Rhys waves at her, and he knows it looks awkward, but it’s the right thing to do. Angel smiles at him after she regains her composure and she sighs, looking at Jack and telling him that she doesn’t like being surprised like that, to which Jack replies with a laugh. Jack walks with Rhys and Angel, taking them through the house, showing Rhys everything, and Rhys figures that he’s just making small talk, but it feels nice to have someone living next to him that actually cares enough to want to get acquainted with him. For a while, they chat, telling each other about their lives, about work, among other things, and every once in a while, Angel speaks to him as well. It’s a comfortable feeling, and Rhys could live with that. The conversation is interrupted, however, when one of the movers comes and informs Jack that they’ve finished, and Jack excuses himself for a moment.

“So, are you in school? Do you mind me asking?” Rhys asks, and Angel turns to him, smiling. She shakes her head slightly, telling him that she’s actually just helping her father out for a while, but she was attending a college. She’s gorgeous, Rhys thinks, and he immediately concludes that those genes run in the family. They absolutely have to. Angel’s voice is low, barely a whisper, and she tells Rhys that Jack has been a bit distraught since her mother had left him about a year ago, and Rhys’s expression immediately becomes one of concern, and Angel quickly tells him that he’s not as bad as he used to be and that he’s okay, he’s just a bit rough around the edges. And before Rhys can respond, Jack is back in the room, and he’s smiling, throwing an arm around Angel’s shoulders.

“We’re finally free of those guys, sweetie. Now we can finally start settling in,” Jack says, and he looks at Rhys, then at down at Angel. “You guys been talkin’? Chatting it up about anything?” Angel shrugs and eventually gets out of Jack’s embrace and tells him that she was telling Rhys about how she was in college, and Jack nods, informing Rhys that Angel is the smartest girl in the entire universe, and Rhys nods, telling him that she seems really smart, and Angel flushes, the direct attention focused on her making her a bit embarrassed.

“Hey, don’t you _dare_ hit on my daughter, you got that, legs?” Jack says, and his tone is harsh, and Angel sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, and she tugs on Jack’s sleeve, telling him to calm down, because he wasn’t hitting on her in the first place, to which Jack replies that he would kill anyone who tried. Rhys feels a bit uncomfortable now, and Angel smiles at him, assuring him that Jack wouldn’t hurt him, and Rhys nods before jumping at the sight of something small and… actually, quite cute. It was a little robot, and it rolled right over to Angel, hugging her leg, making her giggle. She picks the small robot up, and the robot turns to Rhys, introducing herself.

“Hi, I’m Gortys! I’m Angel’s best friend!” Rhys has never seen anything like it before, and his eyes are wide. He stammers, struggling to introduce himself back, and Jack is quirking an eyebrow at him. Angel giggles, and Gortys holds a robotic arm out, and Jack looks at Rhys, as if he were telling him to shake hands with the little robot. Rhys swallows as he holds his cybernetic arm out to her, and Gortys makes an audible sound of awe at it, and she excitedly shakes his hand the best that she can. The small robot seems to nod in approval, and she compliments him on his arm, and Rhys smiles at her, thanking her. Angel says something about it as well, and Rhys was so thankful that this entire family seemed to not be bothered by the sight of something like that. And in fact, Rhys was definitely sure that they would be great neighbors, because they had their own tiny robot. Now _that_ was cool.

The day seems to slip by them, and it quickly becomes night time, and Rhys excuses himself from the house, claiming that he’s overstayed his welcome. Jack walks him out, onto the porch as he waves goodbye to Gortys and Angel, and the older man looks at him, head tilted, and Rhys swallows, because that look is just a tad bit _threatening_ , and Rhys wasn’t exactly ready to die. Jack places a hand on his shoulder, and Rhys almost jumps at the touch, and he hopes that Jack didn’t see that, and thankfully, he didn’t. Or so he thought, anyway. Jack chuckles a bit, “I was hoping you’d stay a little longer, new buddy. Have a couple beers with me, y’know? You don’t have to, that’s my way of askin’ you, though.” And Rhys nods, accepting the offer, though he didn’t usually like to drink, but it had been a while since he actually had, so it would probably be nice to just unwind after a while.

As they walk into the house, Gortys is giggling, and Angel is smiling mischievously. Jack squints at her, hands on his hips, and he asks her what she’s done, and Angel replies that she’d ordered a few pizzas for them. Jack smiles and points at her, “Good, good, I was actually thinking the same thing.” Gortys rolls over to Rhys and looks up at him, and Rhys almost feels as if he should just… take care of her, in a way. She asks for him to hold his cybernetic arm out, and he kneels down as he does, and Gortys inspects it thoroughly, nodding once again in approval. She reaches over and hugs his arm, declaring that she likes Rhys, too, but his arm is much cooler, and that earns a snort from Jack, and Angel telling Gortys, while smiling, that that was a bit rude.

And after they eat dinner, Jack and Rhys are sitting in the backyard, and Rhys can’t help but look anywhere but directly at Jack, because this is new, it’s weird, and Rhys isn’t exactly comfortable with just getting cozy with people right away, but something about this Jack guy is definitely different. It’s quiet for a while, and Rhys notices that Jack is drinking his second can of beer, already, and Rhys hasn’t even gotten halfway finished with his just yet. This guy could definitely drink him under the table, and he knew it. And Rhys decides that he should actually just _say something_ , because Jack’s looking at him, and his gaze is lingering, he can feel it, but Rhys’s eyes are fixated on the sky above them, clear, and he can see stars.

“Not much of a drinker, I’m sorry,” Rhys says, and his voice is quiet, but Jack’s _smiling_ , and Rhys almost feels himself melting, but he could just blame it on him being tipsy (though he hadn’t had much to drink) if Jack said something about it, but hopefully, he wouldn’t. Jack just chuckles, and he finally calls Rhys on it, telling him that he knew that, he just wanted to see how long he was planning on bullshitting him. Rhys laughs a bit as well, though it’s a bit forced, and he finds himself finally actually enjoying his drink. The two talk for a good bit of the night, and eventually, Angel pokes her head outside to tell Jack that she’s going to sleep, and Jack tells her goodnight. Rhys finally checks his phone, and he realizes that it’s pretty late when the bright screen reads that it’s a little bit after one o’ clock in the morning. Rhys is panicked, and it’s obvious to Jack, who laughs a bit as he watches Rhys stand up.

“Where ya goin’ kiddo? We were having a good talk,” Jack says, and he’s standing up now, too, and Rhys is honestly surprised that he hasn’t stumbled over, but Jack seems to be able to hold his alcohol pretty well. If Rhys was being honest, he was just a bit more than buzzed, and he made sure that he was walking carefully, because he knows that he’s clumsy when he drinks too much, and it seems to amuse Jack, who’s following him.

“I have to go home now, it’s really late,” Rhys responds, and Jack makes a clicking noise with his tongue as he watches Rhys walk away.

“Alrighty, then, neighbor, you enjoy your night, alright?” the older man says, walking onto the front porch as Rhys is leaving the house, and Rhys turns around, and he swears that the entire world could have stopped at that moment, because the way that Jack was standing, he looked absolutely stunning, almost like some sort of ethereal being. This was not good, not good at all, and Rhys knew that it wasn’t, because there was no way that he should have been looking at his neighbor, a man that he hadn’t known for twenty-four hours, like that.

Finally, Rhys manages to stammer, and he damns his voice for cracking, because that was _not_ what he needed right now. “You too. Nice to meet you, Jack.” And Rhys just knows that there’s a shade of red beginning to color his cheeks, because he’s burning up, and he’s thankful for the darkness at this moment, because this would not leave a great impression at all.

“Feeling’s mutual, Rhysie,” Jack says, and he’s still smiling at him, and Rhys swallows, because he just called him by a nickname, and they had just gotten acquainted. A particularly _cute_ nickname at that, and the younger man was struggling for words. He didn’t even know how to respond, so he waved at Jack, who shot finger guns at him as he walked briskly to his house and locked the door. He had to figure out how to keep himself from blushing around anyone ever, but that seemed impossible, especially when he didn’t know how to keep himself from doing it. He walks into his room and changes into something more comfortable before laying down on the bed, his entire body stretched out.

The nickname is still playing in his mind, over and over, and he’s almost certain that this is not normal at all. He shouldn’t even be thinking about it this much, let alone thinking about the older man’s _face_. Damn those attractive good looks. He really liked Angel and Gortys, too, and thinking about that made him feel a bit better, because his heart wasn’t threatening to jump out of his chest, and he could feel himself beginning to calm down. As he falls back asleep, he slowly thinks back to what Angel said about her mother, and about Jack still being distraught about everything, and he, for some reason, feels bad, though he hasn’t even known him for that long.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, Rhys walks outside, the crisp, cool air hitting him, and he smiles, because he loves this kind of weather, loves the feeling when he inhales the fresh morning air. And he sits down on the front porch, in one of the many chairs that he kept there, for the off chance that he’d have any company over. He really liked the idea of being able to have coffee and enjoy the morning like this, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world. He looks over at the house next door, and for some reason, his stomach is doing flips, and he kind of wishes that he wasn’t thinking about Jack at this point, because just as he did, the older man was walking outside, still in his pajamas, and he had coffee as well. Rhys pretended like he didn’t notice him, looking down into his coffee and anywhere but Jack. He really, really, did not need to think about how good he looked in the moonlight, how he had called him by that nickname.

And he hears a faint, familiar chuckle in the distance, and it’s Jack, walking his way over, and Rhys wants to absolutely run away. He wants to run away and into his house, anywhere but wherever Jack is, and eventually, Jack is standing at his steps, looking over at him, and he raises his coffee cup to him. “Mornin’, champ. How are you? I uh, I found your profile on this ECHObook thing, and I have to say, didn’t know I was living next to my rival?” Rhys isn’t sure if the tone in Jack’s voice is meant to be menacing, but it was damn sure sending chills up his spine, and Rhys laughs, nervous, and Jack smiles at him, shaking his head, and Rhys is pretty sure that the look he’s receiving now is a really, really, bad look.

“I… uh,” Rhys is lost for words, and he looks down as his phone buzzes, screen lighting up, and he sees the friend request from Jack. “Wait, you’re _that_ Jack? _Hyperion_ Jack?”

“And you’re _that_ Rhys? _Atlas_ Rhys?” Jack’s tone is mocking, but he doesn’t look angry at all anymore, and instead, he’s moving closer to Rhys now, taking the chair next to him, and they’re just a bit close for Rhys’s comfort, but it’s fine, Rhys thinks, except for the fact that he can feel his face heating up again, just from seeing the man’s face that close to him.

“Just fuckin’ with ya, buddy. I honestly don’t give a shit,” Jack says, and he’s looking down at his coffee cup, then at Rhys again, and his heterochromatic eyes are right on Rhys’s, and he examines him, and it makes Rhys feel like he’s the older man’s prey. He swallows, and _oh_ , Jack notices, because he chuckles a bit, commenting, his voice low, that he looks _scared_ , like something’s going to get him. Rhys swallows, because Jack is leaning toward him, and he wonders if he’s got any sense of personal space. It’s quiet for a moment, and Jack’s still staring, but so is Rhys, now, and the two of them stare for a while. Rhys notices Jack’s eyes flicker suddenly and… _Wait_.

Did he just look at his _lips_? No, no, that couldn’t be the case, Rhys was just imagining it. But he looks at Jack’s now, and there’s not much room between them, and Jack’s lips seem to spread into a grin, Jack’s teeth showing. And Rhys didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to feel this way, but he knew that he was probably in too deep already, and he could safely say that he might have had a bit of a crush on Jack. He couldn’t help but look at the way his eyes seemed to focus right on his, the slight bags underneath them, presumably from not getting much sleep, and he found himself studying details, and he was surprised that Jack had let him. And suddenly, Rhys is snapped out of his gaze, and Jack is laughing at him. “You wanna kiss, darlin’?”

“No! No, I just… Nope,” Rhys says, and he’s gripping his coffee cup tighter now, and Jack seems amused, and that seemed to be a big improvement from the way that the falsified anger that the older man had earlier had made him feel. Jack hums and places his coffee on the table, stretching his arms, and he begins to talk with Rhys, and it all comes out so naturally, the two of them talking about any and everything that they could think of, and eventually, Jack decides to excuse himself, and before leaving, he turns to Rhys, his eyes on him, giving him that _stare_ that could send chills down his spine. Jack winks at him, and Rhys feels like he could just die right there, because that man had no right.

“Catch ya around, Rhysie,” and Jack is walking away, coffee cup in his hand, as he yawns loudly, walking back over to his house. He looks back over his shoulder and Rhys isn’t sure why, but he’s so screwed. Yeah, Rhys is in so much trouble. His neighbors might be good, but this feeling in his chest is just so, so bad. He can’t have a crush on the CEO of Hyperion, he just can’t, and the fact that he was living next to him? That thought made him uneasy, too, because now he was fantasizing about how Jack could just show up at any time, and that would be a problem. No, no, no, no, This couldn’t be happening. Rhys pinches himself for good measure, and nope, not a dream, but he kinda wishes it was.

A sigh, and he picks up his coffee and goes inside, because he’s blushing, he knows he is, because Jack was far too close to his face, far too close to kissing him… If he’d even go that far. Oh, god, Rhys was so screwed. He looks around the house, just to make sure that no one’s there, as if anyone would be, and he finds himself laying down on his couch soon enough, hands covering his face, and he whispers to himself, saying how much _he does not want to kiss Jack_.

He’s lying.


	2. puzzle pieces and missing pages

A long sigh drifts from Rhys’s lips as he turns the keys, opening his front door after a long day at the office. Rhys is absolutely most thankful for Friday evenings. It was a relief, finally being home and actually being able to unwind for a change. He figures that it’s much, much better than being stuck behind a desk doing paperwork all day and making sure that things are on track as they should be. He was so used to Fridays being casual for him until he was promoted again, and he was happy with the position, but he guessed that he hadn’t really thought about how much work it was to be at the head of a big name company like Atlas. The short amount of time that he’d been in charge wasn’t really affecting his mood or anything, though, and in fact, it wasn’t so bad, once he thought about it. He’d worked hard for this, and if he didn’t deserve anything else, he deserved this.

 

He stretched out, getting comfortable, and he didn’t even worry about changing out of his work clothes, because he wasn’t going to work for a few days anyway, and besides, what harm could he do by just taking it easy? Not much, he figures, so eventually, he’s drifting off into a slumber, and he couldn’t have asked for anything better after a long week. And then, his phone makes a pinging noise, and he reluctantly checks it, cursing that he was almost asleep, too, and he notices a message from none other than Jack, asking him if his week went well, and he made certain to add in a _‘rival’_ to the message, and Rhys guessed that that was what Jack was calling him now. Rhys replies, telling him that it was great, but tiring, and almost immediately, Jack replied that he was in the same position.

 

And now, Rhys is thinking about Jack again. Thinking about his lips, his eyes, the way that his eyebrows quirked up if he said things about something that he was interested in… _Oh, no_. This was bad, this was so bad, and Rhys kept on fighting himself, trying his best to keep himself from actually telling Jack about that, because he was certain that the older man would not be amused. Ah, he wished that things were easier, like in the movies and books, but it wasn’t going to work out that way. It would have to remain his little secret, and Rhys was certain that he could pull that off. A few more messages exchanged between the two of them, and Jack was telling him how proud he was of himself for not firing anyone all day, and how Angel cooked the best dinner, and Rhys was a at a loss for a way to reply, but he did his best.

 

And then, there’s the thing that makes Rhys absolutely lose it. He calls him _Rhysie_ again. And now, Rhys is _really_ struggling for a reply, his fingers moving over the keyboard on his phone, but not typing anything. Rhys didn’t know why he’d taken such a liking to the nickname, but the way that Jack said it made it sound _so good_. He finds himself becoming drowsy again, and just as he does, he gets another message, and it’s Jack, telling him goodnight, and Rhys is thankful, because it would be rude to just fall asleep on Jack like that. And then, Rhys thinks, and he thinks hard, because it shouldn’t be such a big deal, should it?

 

He responds, telling Jack goodnight as well, and he finally decides to get up and shower, because he knows the consequences of falling asleep like that, knows that it’ll remind him too much of those times before, when he’d drag in from the office, and he’d just drink. He’d drink like there was no tomorrow, and yet, he always managed to sober up somehow, and he thinks back to everything he’d done to lose his wife, and he absolutely shudders, because somehow, he used to blame her for everything, when really, it was his fault. He admitted that to her, and for a while, they sat in shocked silence, and eventually, Fiona had given in and hugged Rhys and she told him that it would be okay, because even through all of the things that they’d been through, they were still friends. Best friends, in fact, and he always made sure to call Fiona, because he wasn’t sure how he made it so far without her, and he did regret losing her. Luckily, she was patient, and he guesses that that could be a good thing, because she probably had to learn patience from putting up with him. He’s a monster, and he’s gone and gotten himself upset again.

 

He showers, and it’s not even slightly relaxing, but it manages to wake him up, and he walks over to the desk in his room and he takes a seat before dialing Fiona’s number, and he hoped that she was going to be okay with that. After just a few rings, she answers, and she sounds like she’s okay, like it’s alright, and Rhys can’t help but feel like she’s doing this out of pity, and it _hurts_. Rhys is talking to her for a long while, and Fiona asks him suddenly if he’s actually okay, and it kills Rhys inside to tell her that he is, because she shouldn’t be worrying about him, if anything, she should worry about her sister, worry about August, because those were her family members, and Rhys just feels like he doesn’t belong anywhere near their old friend group anymore. He doesn’t even speak to Vaughn much, because Vaughn had actually gone and started traveling, and it wasn’t like Rhys could blame him. In fact, Rhys wishes that he could travel sometimes too.

 

And Fiona, on the other line, is asking Rhys if he’s been eating like he should, and Rhys has to lie, he tells her that he has, but really, he can’t even find the time, and Fiona hums happily, and then she starts telling him about her day, about the date that she’s going on in just a little bit, and Rhys can almost feel his heart rip into two, because it’s not the fact that she’s dating, it’s the fact that she’s dating someone that he doesn’t even really think is right for her, but what was worse was that she’d just now told him, and Rhys knows that he has absolutely no right to be upset, but he can’t help it. He swallows, feigns happiness for Fiona, and eventually, he hangs up with her.

 

It’s going to be a long night, he thinks.

 

And that’s when the doorbell rings, and Rhys almost trips several times, while he’s wiping his eyes, because goddamn it, Rhys does not cry, and no one, save Fiona and Vaughn, had ever seen him do it. He would be fine, he would be just fine, because he would stop thinking about it, he would clear his head, and he’d sleep, and he would be back to his normal self in the morning. He glances at the clock, notes that it’s just past eight, and he wonders who could be at the door as he opens it, and it’s none other than Angel, holding onto Gortys. Well, this was highly unexpected, and possibly scary.

 

“Hi, Rhys, um…” Angel trails off, and Rhys notices that she’s staring at his eyes, and she tilts her head slightly, “First, have you been crying?” And Rhys shakes his head, a small chuckle falling from his lips as he dismisses the thought, and Angel smiles at him, and Rhys knows that he’s so making a fool of himself, because Angel has a look on her face that’s screaming that she doesn’t believe him, not one bit. Angel moves into the house, and Rhys moves out of her way, and she tells him that she’s got to go see her mother, because she’s in bad shape, and Rhys nods, listening intently, and Angel seems to be a bit bashful, maybe afraid? Gortys finally chimes in, saying that it’d be really cool if Rhys could possibly keep an eye on Jack until they’re home in just a few weeks. And Angel explains that her mother lives a very long way away, even by car. Rhys agrees, and he wishes Gortys and Angel safe travels, and Angel tells him that she’s leaving in the morning, and her father is extremely upset about it.

 

Rhys tells Angel that it’ll be fine, and she believes him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, about an hour after Angel and Gortys are on their way out, Rhys walks outside, and he doesn’t expect to see Jack making his way over to his house, and _ohhhh boy_ , he looks absolutely terrifying, his eyes look like he hadn’t really slept, and he’s smiling when he catches Rhys in his line of vision. Rhys greets him, and Jack does the same, and then there’s a long sigh, a tap of his shoes to Rhys’s patio, and he asks Rhys if he can possibly come inside, and Rhys nods, and then he gives him a tour of his house, and all the while, Rhys can’t stop thinking about how Angel said that he’d been unstable since his divorce, and that’s when it hits them that maybe they’re not so different after all.

 

After Rhys shows him all of the rooms in the house, they’re sitting in the dining room, and Jack is telling him about how after they’d stopped messaging each other, his ex wife had called Angel and said that something was wrong, and Jack is actually venting to him, raising his voice and everything, and he says that any time Angel was around him for any real length of time, she’d call, saying something was wrong, and then he wouldn’t see her for months, and Rhys swallows, because it seems as if it’s an ongoing battle, and Rhys was now thrusted in the middle of it. Jack exhales through his nose, and he makes a motion with his hands, as if he’s calming himself down, and he turns to Rhys, and he’s smiling again. “Sorry for that, by the way, you look scared, cupcake.”

 

“No, I’m just… A bit shocked that this happens to you, I mean, you’re Jack, and…” Oh god, what the hell was he doing? He was making a fool of himself, that was what he was doing, but Jack looks genuinely interested, watching Rhys closely, watching as Rhys was practically squirming in his seat, trying to find the words. Jack urges him to go on, and Rhys can almost feel himself beginning to burn up, and Jack’s just giving him this look, and if Rhys could have died, he would have wanted to die at that very moment, right here, right in his own home, from the mildly suggestive look that he was getting.

 

Rhys knows he’s blushing now, knows that he is bright red, and he’s doing everything he can to avoid those pretty heterochromatic eyes… and the lips, he doesn’t want to think about his lips more than he already has, and Jack is chuckling quietly now, and he’s watching him, still, and Rhys covers his face with his hands, trying his best not to look like more of an idiot than he already has, but he hears Jack stand up, and he hopes that he just leaves, hopes that he goes home, but instead, he feels his presence, and oh, Jack is way too close to him now, and he’s leaning down, and he whispers, “You don’t need to try and make me feel better, you’re embarrassing yourself.”

 

“I’m just…” Rhys’s voice is higher than he wants it to be at this point, and he’s so embarrassed that he could just die, and Jack shushes him, and he’s sitting down again, and Rhys can’t believe the tension in the room. It’s thick, and Rhys knows that Jack can feel it too, because he can see him staring at him, and Rhys wonders if he stares at everyone like that. “I’m sorry, I’m just trying to be a good friend.” And Rhys finally looks over at Jack, and the older man looks shocked, to say the least. Jack nods, and he apologizes for not realizing that sooner. And the two of them sit in silence for a long while, and Rhys finally says something, and he begins to tell him about Fiona. He doesn’t know why, but he feels like Jack might be able to help him somehow. He hopes he can, anyway. Rhys swallows, because he’s pretty sure that he’s picking the scab off of his old wounds again. And Jack’s listening to him, now, and Rhys can’t help but look at his eyes, and sometimes, his eyes subconsciously fall to the other man’s lips. And that’s when Jack looks at him, once Rhys stops talking, and he says something that no one had told him before.

 

“You have to get rid of her, Rhys, she’s dragging you down,” Jack says, and he’s pointing at Rhys, almost accusingly. “Take it from me, you can’t keep on letting your exes back into your life. They always manage to make ya feel like shit.”

 

It’s almost like clarity, but for some reason, Rhys can’t believe that Jack would actually just be that bold, just come out and tell him to get rid of Fiona. And Rhys tries his hardest to explain to Jack that they’re only friends, and she’s his best friend, and Jack tells him that it’s obviously not as good of a friendship as he’s letting on, because she should have been able to tell that he was upset. Rhys nods, and he decides to let Jack have this one, because he doesn’t really feel like arguing if it came down to that. And then, Jack’s smiling at him, and he leans over, “Hey, buddy, how about we go and get you something to eat? You look starved for some good food.”

 

Rhys almost declines the offer, but before he knows it, he’s in Jack’s car, and they’re riding through the city. Jack’s radio is just a bit too loud, but Rhys doesn’t mind, because watching Jack as he sings along to a song that he doesn’t know is actually lifting his mood a little bit. That’s when the song finally goes off, and then there’s a song that he knows, and Jack’s singing that one too, before he tells Rhys that he likes to sing when he drives, and he urges Rhys to join him, urges him to have a little bit of fun, and Rhys follows his lead, and he decides that Jack is a pretty nice guy, maybe. When he wasn’t being a complete dick in the commercials that he’d finally seen on the television just the other night.

 

And they finally pull up to a restaurant, and Rhys is happy, because he’s having fun, and Jack walks in and he holds the door for him, and Rhys walks in front of him, and soon enough, they’re seated at the table and enjoying a nice meal together, and that’s when Rhys’s heart flutters a bit, because he’s actually eating a one on one meal with Jack, the man who’s lips he’d been thinking about for days now. And Jack is watching him, a smile on his face. “Eat up, kiddo, got lots of money, so we could actually buy out the restaurant, but that’s nothing you’re unfamiliar with, mister CEO.”

 

Rhys laughs a bit, and he’s really glad to have met Jack, really glad that he’s been so nice to him, and he’s even happier that Jack seems to like him. Even if Rhys never got to kiss him, it’d be nice to be friends with him, even if he’d heard that he could be cold and ruthless. And the two of them dine for a long while, and the two of them decide to leave a tip that could help their waitress leave her job and never look back, and Jack insisted that she was really that good, and later, when they’re leaving the restaurant, Jack informs Rhys that he always makes sure to tip waitresses very well, because he knows what they go through, because his ex wife was a waitress at one point. Rhys can vaguely remember Fiona mentioning that she was a waitress at some point or another, and it makes a lot of sense.

 

And they eventually wind up back at Jack’s house, and Rhys follows him inside. Rhys’s eyes widen at what appears to have been Jack getting really angry after Angel left. There are picture frames shattered on the floor, plates in the kitchen floor, and Rhys can feel a chill run up his spine, and Jack looks at him, and he looks completely serious, and it’s a bit worrying to the younger man. “Angel’s not gonna come back this time, Rhysie. She’s… she’s gone. I’ve lost her for good this time.”

 

Rhys swallowed, and he leans down and begins cleaning up the mess, and Jack’s watching him, an eyebrow quirked, and he questions Rhys, and his voice is quiet, and it’s like nothing that Rhys had ever heard, because Jack was always loud, his voice always seemed to be louder than anyone else’s, and to hear him almost silent was completely different. Rhys is swallowing again, and he looks at Jack as he finally finishes cleaning the messes up, and he speaks, his voice soft as well. “I’m sorry, Jack.”

 

“Don’t ever say those words to me,” Jack’s voice is loud again, almost angry, and Rhys is scared, because Jack is close to him, and he’s got his hands on Rhys’s shoulders. “Just… don’t tell me you’re sorry.” And Rhys can’t help but look down and away from Jack, because he can’t stand this. There’s so much of the story that he doesn’t know, and he knows that Jack probably won’t ever tell him why Angel really left, probably won’t ever let him in, won’t let him close enough to him to ever know much, and Rhys can almost feel the sting in his eyes, and he wills himself not to cry, because he just wants to be there, wants to at least be a friend to Jack, to at least be able to comfort him.

 

“I won’t do it again,” Rhys whispers, and Jack’s hands slide off of his shoulders at this point, and the younger man looks at Jack, and Jack’s eyes are on his, and Rhys can almost feel himself trembling, almost in tears, and before he knows it, he’s passing out, and it’s more than likely from him being so nervous. He wakes up soon after, and he’s staring at a ceiling that he’s unfamiliar with, and Jack’s walking through the door, looking at him.

 

“You passed out, kid,” Jack says, and Rhys realizes that he’s in a bedroom, and it looks like it’s probably Jack’s. “Right after you cleaned up all of my mess that I made. I gotta say, no one’s ever come behind me like that. Really managed to shake me up there, Rhysie.” Rhys swallows, searching for the words to say, and nothing manages to come out, and Jack’s smiling at him, and Jack looks completely wrecked, like he’d been crying himself, and Rhys wishes that he could be close enough to comfort him himself. He wishes that he could just tell him that he wants to be there for him, but he can’t.

 

And when Rhys finally gets back home after a few more hours, he still hasn’t told Jack, but he feels terrible leaving him in that big, lonely home by himself. He wants to go back, he wishes that he didn’t feel like he’d worn out his welcome significantly, but he can’t bring himself to even say the words to Jack.

 

He’d tell him one day, maybe.


	3. much too personal

Rhys hasn’t spoken to Jack much since he had passed out a little while back, but he has been keeping a check on him, just stopping by, making sure that he hasn’t destroyed anything, hasn’t really done anything out of the ordinary, and every single time, Rhys declines coming in to stay for a while, because he just knows that this is dangerous territory, this is something that he’ll have to just give up on, because Rhys knows better. He knows, he knows that Jack is trying his hardest to get him to come over, and with the way that Rhys has been looking at him lately, he can’t help but feel as if Jack probably knows what’s going on. Rhys doesn’t answer his messages anymore, doesn’t bother to even look at more than the first few words, and they usually begin with ‘come over’ or it’s Jack asking if he wants to go out and do something late at night when they’ve both gotten home from work. Even worse is the weekends, because Jack could message him every hour if he wanted to, and Rhys was even worried about being outside for too long, because he didn’t want to be seen.

 

It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want to be seen or see Jack. Rhys was such a goddamn liar, he was denying himself again, and that was something that he was trying to stop, but he couldn’t. Jack was trying to get to know him, trying to get close, and Rhys just couldn’t let him. He couldn’t let him see what was really going on in his head. He didn’t want for Jack to get close to him, he didn’t want for Jack to see him for what he really was, and it’s dawning on Rhys that he’s breaking every promise that he’d ever said to Fiona when he chokes down another shot of Tequila. He was still thinking clearly, well, sort of. He was really thinking that he wanted to kiss Jack, and when his phone rings, he answers it while leaning back in his chair, checking the time beforehand, and he’s fucking screwed, because it’s after eight, and it’s probably Fiona. He clears his throat, because he needed to sound as stable as possible, and he finally answers.

 

“Rhys? Rhys, are you drunk right now?” It’s Vaughn, and thank god, Vaughn could still make time for him, somehow, when he wasn’t working charities or something. Rhys can’t lie to him, can’t, but he has to, he has to tell Vaughn that he isn’t, because that was his biggest issue. No one could fault him with the way that he coped. And Vaughn, being the smart guy that he is, is already well aware of what’s happening, and that’s when Rhys starts talking to him, telling him about how he and Fiona had gotten a divorce while he was gone, and Vaughn sighs, and he asks Rhys what happened, and that’s when Rhys finally shuts up, goes completely silent, and Vaughn checks to see if he’s still there, and Rhys figures that it’s best to just come out and say it, because what was the point in hiding anything? He sighs, breathes through his nose, and he finally speaks, “Vaughn… She left me, not because of my body, but because I wasn’t good enough. She left me because I’m a goddamn emotional wreck all the time, the job takes up all of my time, but I always came home, Vaughn.”

 

Vaughn’s silent, and it takes Rhys a minute, but he’s crying now, and he’s certain that Vaughn can hear him, because Vaughn’s sighing, and he tells him that it’s okay, tells him to take his time, and eventually, Rhys straightens up and talks to Vaughn. “Fiona is a good person, Vaughn, I’m a bad person. I’m the worst,” and Vaughn’s telling him to stop, telling him to stop putting himself down, but Rhys just can’t, he can’t. Why was he even talking to Vaughn right now, when he’d left him. Everyone was leaving him in one way or another, and he hadn’t really spoken to Sasha or August in so long that he’d just regarded them as strangers. Fiona insisted, constantly, that everything was fine between them, but Rhys knew better. He knew so much better, and Rhys eventually hangs the phone up, and he’s right back where he started, and there’s a missed call. Fiona. He dials her number, and she answers quickly, and she sounds really excited and happy, and Rhys tries to calm her down so that she’ll just tell him what’s going on, and she finally tells him that she’s pregnant. Rhys feels his heart sink again, and he’s almost certain that he’s stopped breathing for a moment. “P-Pregnant…? That’s great, Fi.” Rhys is lying, because no, that’s most certainly not great. Fiona’s happy though, so shouldn’t he be congratulating her? He’s at war with himself, and he feels like he’s absolutely dying, losing the battle, and he’s not sure what comes over him, but he can’t bring himself to listen, and he hangs up.

 

That’s when he decides to look next door, and there’s a car there, and it’s Angel’s. Rhys hopes that she’s staying, and he moves to the kitchen to look through the window, and Angel and Jack are hugging, a sight that Rhys was hoping for, and though he wasn’t sure why, Rhys was hoping that Angel wouldn’t leave him. Jack didn’t deserve that, he was a pretty good guy, Rhys thought. He was much better than he was, that’s for sure. And that’s when he walks back to the table and sits down, taking a few more shots of Tequila before passing out at said table, his phone ringing, but no answer.

 

Jack is sitting at the table with Angel, and his eyes are scanning the table, then looking up at her, and she’s sitting right in front of him, and she looks like a mess, her eyes puffy and red from crying, and Jack feels terrible that he couldn’t even shed a single tear for the loss of her mother. It was cold, some would say, but Jack just honestly didn’t care about her anymore. Whatever they’d had was gone, but Jack made sure to comfort Angel, tell her it was okay, that none of it was her fault, ever, and Angel listened, but she’d always thought that her father was terrible with words when he was comforting someone. Jack swallows, and he reaches his hand out across the table, and Angel takes it, holds it tightly, and they’re both silent. There’s nothing being spoken, but they both know that there really aren’t any words that they could say right now, and Gortys rolls into the room, and even she’s quiet.

 

Jack glances up from Gortys, then at Angel, and he smiles, “Robots will always be your friend, Angel.” His smile is tight, and Angel smiles back at him, and she laughs a bit, and she tells him that he’s absolutely right. She motions for Gortys to come over to her, and the tiny robot does, and Angel picks her up, and she nuzzles her the best that she can, and Gortys is smiling now, the best that she can, and Angel seems to hold onto her tightly. Jack swallows, and Angel tells him that she’s going to be alright, that she just needs time. Jack nods, and eventually, he leaves the room to walk back to his room. Gortys is eventually placed back on the floor, and Angel stands up and follows her, and the small robot shows Angel a new dance that she learned from a Claptrap unit. Angel giggles and watches curiously, trying to mimic the motions, and Gortys tells her that she’s just trying to help her feel better about all of this. Angel appreciates it, and Gortys absolutely understands human emotions, Angel thinks.

 

Jack, on the other hand, is having a terrible time, but for completely different reasons, and he’s constantly pressing redial, and there’s never an answer. Never anyone that’s there for him, and he lays down on the bed, face down, and he realizes that he probably looks like shit at this point, but it doesn’t bother him, because he’s always showing people the stronger side of him, always showing people how happy he is, and he can’t help but feel that he’s being robbed. He hits redial again, and there’s still no answer, so he keeps on doing it, and by this time, his fingers already know where he needs to press, and eventually, someone answers, and Jack pulls the phone to his ear and he smiles, “Hey, I knew you’d answer eventually, Wilhelm.” The conversation carries on for a little while, and it ends up with Wilhelm showing up at his door, bearing gifts for Angel and Gortys, and he’s got his eyes on Jack from the moment he walks in the door. He walks with Jack into the bedroom, and Jack sits at his computer desk, and Wilhelm sits beside him.

 

“Jack, it’s fine to feel some kind of emotion about this. You loved her.” Wilhelm hates when he has to comfort him, but he feels obligated for some reason, and Jack sighs, his hands right on his face, dragging down, and he swallows before he looks at Wilhelm, and he laughs. He doesn’t love her anymore, though, and Jack’s telling Wilhelm everything, telling him about Hyperion, telling him about Angel leaving, about how he thought that he was losing her, and Wilhelm’s a good listener, Jack decides, so he keeps on talking, and eventually, he lets Wilhelm hear the thoughts that he’s been holding in for so long. Wilhelm swallows now, and he’s watching Jack with wide eyes. Jack’s breaking, and he knows it, but he can’t help but watch what happens as Jack turns into the beautiful mess that he’s becoming.

 

Jack’s eyes have terrible bags underneath them, Wilhelm notes, and he immediately thinks of how dangerous it is for Jack to be by himself, how Jack needs to calm down, or he’s really going to scare Angel, but he doesn’t say anything, he keeps his mouth closed. He’s not actually listening anymore, but Jack thinks that he is, so that’s always a good thing. And eventually, hours and hours later, when Wilhelm would really rather be at home, would really rather be dead than listen to Jack go on and on, Jack stops, and he asks Wilhelm if he’s got something better to do, and Wilhelm laughs a bit and tells him that it’s almost two in the morning, that he should really go on home, and Jack sighs, then he dismisses him, and Wilhelm takes his leave, and within two minutes of him leaving, Jack’s back on the bed, trying to call someone again, and he decides to try Rhys this time, but of course, there’s no answer.

 

There never is anymore.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Jack is right at Rhys’s door, and he’s banging on it, and he’s banging loud, and Rhys finally comes to the door, and his eyes are wide. Jack almost pushes him into the house, and Rhys backs up slowly, and he asks Jack what’s going on, and the older man tilts his head to the side, and for the longest time, the two of them stay silent, both not even moving. Jack is the first to speak, and he seems pretty upset about something, Rhys notes, and that’s when Jack is right in front of him, invading his personal space yet again, as he always did. “Shouldn’t I be asking you what’s going on? You pass out in my house, I take care of you, and for what? For you to leave me? For you to never want to talk to me again?”

 

Rhys’s breath is shaky, and he manages a response, though he’s not saying anything at all. He moves a bit further away from Jack, “No… You don’t understand, Jack. I can’t let you get close to me.”

 

Jack walks toward him, and now his hands are on Rhys’s arms, and their grip is becoming tighter and tighter, and the older man looks frustrated, like he could spit fire if he really wanted to, and he’s breathing a bit heavier than before now. “You think that I don’t understand you? You think I want to talk to you out of the kindness of my fucking heart? I want to get close to you because I know the kind of person you are, I want to see more of you, because you’re just like I was when I was your age! I used to do the same shit you used to, and I used to want to run the goddamn company, just like you!”

 

Jack’s words are almost venomous, and Rhys swallows, a bit nervous, but he responds quickly, and he moves his hands to push at Jack’s chest, trying to push him away, but Jack’s not moving. “No, you don’t fucking get it, Jack! I push everyone away! I can’t do anything right, and that’s why my ex-wife left me… I wasn’t good enough for her.” Rhys’s voice is cracking, and he’s cursing himself for being so emotional. “I’m a stupid piece of shit, all I can do is run a company and drink my way through my problems with dealing with Fiona being pregnant. I can’t even be happy for her.”

 

Jack’s features seem to soften, and the grip on Rhys’s arms loosens significantly, and Jack leans forward, looking into Rhys’s eyes, and Rhys swallows, because he’s crying now. Jack brings a thumb up to Rhys’s face and wipes a tear away. His voice isn’t as loud now, and he actually seems caring. “I don’t give a fuck about your past, Rhysie,” and Rhys swears that his heart is about to jump out of his chest, because Jack is pulling him into a hug, “I don’t care what you’ve done. When I say I want to get close to you, it’s because I mean it, not because I feel obligated, or anything like that.” Rhys’s hands find their way around Jack’s waist, and the two of them stand like this for a while.

 

“I’m sorry, Jack, I should have answered,” Rhys says, and his voice is just a bit too soft, but Jack is listening, and he can hear him hum against his shoulder, and he can feel Jack beginning to move, and Rhys quickly figures out that they’re dancing. It’s embarrassing, but Rhys moves along with Jack, and this feels a bit too intimate, a bit too much like they’re comfortable with each other, and Rhys isn’t sure as to how long they dance for, but he wishes that they could just stay like this forever.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * due to personal problems in my life as well as health complications, i'm forced to put everything of mine on an indefinite hiatus for now. thank you all for you continued support, i truly appreciate it.


	4. broken plates

Thinking back on it, Rhys probably would miss the money, but being the CEO of the Atlas Corporation actually sucked. There wasn’t really time for him to think about much else, during the week, anyway. This week had been particularly stressful, sales saw a slight decline as Hyperion ( _ Jack _ , in Rhys’s mind) had released a new product that would ‘change the future’. For some reason, he couldn’t be angry with Jack, though. He actually didn’t feel much about it at all. Days and days pass, and Rhys finds himself being more and more overworked, and finally, by the end of the work week, he barely makes it into the house before he collapses onto the sofa and plants his face into the cushion. He’s so relieved to be home that he doesn’t even know what to do. He rolls over to lay on his back and nearly jumps at the sight of Jack, who was somehow in his home, looking down at him with some sort of smug expression that Rhys couldn’t quite decipher. 

 

“J-Jack?!”

 

“‘Sup, kiddo? That can’t be comfortable,” Jack says matter-of-factly as he tosses a wine cooler at Rhys. “Angel’s outta town, figured that you might like a little bit of company.” 

 

Rhys sits up, his eyes widening, as he continues to wonder how it was that Jack got into his house. Had he left the door open again? He really needed to check himself before he left in the mornings. At least it was Jack that had helped himself into the house and not some deranged murderer or thief, though the idea of someone being in his home while he was unaware was pretty bad, too. At least Jack wouldn’t try and murder him, probably. Even that he wasn’t certain of, it was more or less something that he actually  _ hoped _ .

 

“Left the door unlocked.”

 

Ah, okay. Rhys makes a note to be sure to not do that again. He smiles at Jack and tried not to think too much about what had happened the last time that they had seen each other. He opened up to him just a little bit, but for Rhys, that was such a big step. Jack seemed to be talking for a long while, but Rhys tunes back in at a sigh and a shake of the older man’s head. “I could really use the company, ya know.” The statement is enough to cause Rhys to want to do absolutely anything in the world for the older man. It had been so, so long since he had actually been this close to someone.

 

Before Rhys knows it, it’s almost midnight, and the two of them have been talking for hours about corporate business and  just venting their feelings in general. He didn’t realize that he was actually leaning back on Jack’s arm either. He had to admit, it was actually pretty comfortable. Jack’s fingers brush against his shoulder slightly, and Rhys almost shivers at the contact, but he manages to keep his composure. 

 

“I don’t know when Angel’s coming back this time,” Jack says, and he looks over toward the younger man. “She said that she was going to stay with a friend. I get it, but, y’know, still worries me. She might not come back.” 

 

“I know you’re worried,” Rhys says, his eyes flicking toward the floor, anything to keep from looking at Jack when they are this close. “I’m sure that Angel will come back, I’m sure she’s gonna be okay.”

 

“Huh, you’re probably right. But she’s my daughter, I can’t just not worry about her, you know?” Jack replies, and Rhys nods. There’s a certain silence that lingers around them for just a little while, and it isn’t long before Jack is smiling at Rhys again, confident as always. “Come back to my place, and let’s make sure that you lock the door when you leave your house this time, huh, princess?”

 

Rhys groans and tosses a throw pillow at Jack, “Shut uuuuup, it was one time, okay? And that one time, you just so happened to just waltz into my house like you owned the place.” And it isn’t long before Jack’s moving much, much closer to Rhys, and Rhys can only think about his lips at this point, just like before. 

 

Jack’s lips are just a breath away from Rhys’s, and the older man pulls Rhys closer to him, embracing him, “I didn’t see you complaining about that, though, sweetheart.”

 

Rhys swears that he’s going to wake up from this dream at any moment, but when he tries to shake himself awake, everything’s the same, and Jack’s looming over him now. When did he back up this far? Everything was making him nervous, even more so because of the obvious want in Jack’s eyes. Up until now, he had asked himself if he was just imagining the long gazes that Jack gave him, but now he was certain. He was certain that he wanted Jack to somehow pull him out of his scrambled life. He manages to gulp, really hoping that he’s not visibly flushing at  _ ‘sweetheart’ _ . “I didn’t say that I was,” he responds, and he takes the opportunity to pull Jack down to him, and he watches the older man’s eyes as they widen. He smiles at him and he’s so close to kissing him that his head is swimming. 

 

There’s a loud knock at the door, and Rhys swears that he could just  _ kill  _ whoever it was that just interrupted the one thing that he’d really wanted to happen. Jack sits up and Rhys is surprised when the older man actually gives a frustrated sigh. Rhys smiles at him and stands up, walking toward the door, and Rhys only hopes that it’s just someone with the wrong address, someone that will be gone in no time. When he opens the door, only slightly, he’s greeted with Fiona and her, who he assumes to be, new fiancee. “Unbelieveable, Fiona,” he says, and Jack’s listening hard, his ears perking up when he hears the name of Rhys’s ex-wife. “You know, you have the perfect timing, I was just about to lock up for the night.”

 

“Rhys, this is Scooter, my new fiancee,” Fiona says, and she smiles over to Scooter, who greets Rhys and gives him a little chuckle after commenting that he should leave Fiona alone. Rhys rolls his eyes and smiles at the couple before telling them good night, wishing that he were stronger so that he could end this little problem by just throwing them off of his front porch, literally. He didn’t know why Fiona wanted to hurt him like this, but she was. And for the guy to tell Rhys to leave Fiona alone? His mood was certainly ruined now, and he slams the door in their faces, turning to face Jack, who’s staring at him, his eyes narrowed, and Rhys suddenly feels like he’s in trouble for some reason.

 

“Jack, I…” Rhys says quietly, watching Jack as he begins to stand up and walk toward him, “I didn’t know that that would happen, I…”

 

“Shut up, Rhysie, I know that,” Jack replies. “You need something to toughen your skin a little more, though. When she shows up with her bullshit, you’ve gotta know how to tell her to fuck off, alright?”

 

“But  we were friends for so long,” Rhys replies and Jack moves closer to him again, and the older man’s lips almost brush against his neck when he embraces him in a hug, and Rhys responds to him, wrapping his arms around him. “I really loved her, it’s my fault that our marriage fell apart.”

 

“Stop that, don’t blame yourself for everything, divorce takes two just like marriage, kiddo.”

 

And in that very moment, Rhys swears that his mind just opened up. He’d been told that for years by Vaughn and even other people, but to hear Jack say it was truly something different. He wanted nothing more than to always keep Jack by his side, but he wasn’t sure as to how he would actually go about doing that. He didn’t want to scared him off, for one thing, and for another, he was worried sick about doing the wrong thing. He wanted to tell Jack, but he couldn’t, his pride that he had left wouldn’t let him. The silence seemed to become thicker and thicker, and Jack was holding onto him tighter than before. Rhys releases a shaky breath that he’d been holding, and he realizes that he was crying. It was clear to him now, words weren’t needed right now. He would just let it be.

 

And that was fine.

  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Things have been really tense between us ever since I became a,” Rhys uses air quotes, much to Jack’s liking, “ _ corporate asshole _ .” They’d been talking for hours about Rhys, and for once, he actually fully opened up to him. It was odd that it was in some sort of 80’s themed restaurant, but really, he didn’t mind, and Jack was paying attention, so what did he have to lose? And soon, Jack’s brow is raised, and he’s staring toward the direction of something else, and Rhys almost snaps his neck trying to see what he’s looking at.

 

It’s  _ Angel _ , and she’s with another girl, younger, perhaps. Rhys catches on quickly, and he hopes that Jack doesn’t snap or get angry with her, but he’s sure that Jack doesn’t have a reputation for being an asshole for no apparent reason. But to his surprise, Jack doesn’t move, he stays still, just watching the two girls. He looks back at Rhys, a smile on his face, and Rhys can tell it’s forced. There’s another wave of silence between them, and Jack stands up, nodding toward the door. Rhys follows him, and he’s sure that this is probably for the best. He wasn’t really looking forward to the car ride home, though. 

 

“Rhys, did you see my daughter in there? Huh?” Jack’s tone is far different than Rhys had ever heard. He watched as Jack’s grip on the steering wheel became tighter, and he tells him that he did, and Jack swallows. “She’s in there with a girl that’s she’s been friends with for years. She says that they’re  _ ‘just friends’  _ to me, but look, I saw them holding hands, they’re… She could have told me, Rhys.”

 

“Maybe she was scared of what would happen?” Rhys is trying his hardest to be careful and he’s trying to comfort Jack, but it’s getting harder and harder. He’s looking over at Jack from the passenger’s seat and perks up slightly, “Maybe it’s not what you think at all, maybe they really are just friends. If they’re not, then I’m sure that she’ll tell you when she’s ready.”

 

“You don’t understand, though, Rhysie. She used to tell me  _ everything _ . When she was in high school she couldn’t tell me enough about her friends or her little love interests,” he pauses as he turns into his driveway, and as he parks the car, he swallows. “She did all of this until her mother left. Part of me wants to believe that she’s grieving in her own way about our split, but then something else tells me that her mother has a hand in it somehow. I don’t know. It’s just… well, it’s really hard for me.”

 

Rhys is quiet, watching Jack as he taps his fingers on the steering wheel. He’s not sure how to respond now, or if he should even respond at all. Jack looks over at him and sighs, “Sorry for dumping that on ya, kiddo. You’ve never had a kid, so I guess there’s no reason you’d really get it.”

 

“I want to, though.” Rhys is surprised at the way that his words were flowing out of his mouth as of late. “I want to understand you. I want to know more about you, I want to be able to be here for you, and, y’know, I want to see you happy, please? Let me see you happy, Jack.” And almost as if he was taken aback by his own words, he exits the car and tells Jack to have a good evening and he runs to his door and heads into the house. 

  
  
  


Jack locks the door to his home and walks into the kitchen, looking around for any particular job that he needed to take care of, but found nothing. He wanted to ignore the comment that Rhys had made, but the more he tried to forget it, the more he wanted to test how far Rhys would go to see him happy. The older man sighs and walks outside again, and he’s suddenly face to face with the very person that had lit something inside of him earlier. It was Angel and her friend. “Ohoho, to what do I owe the pleasure of this sudden visit, Angel, and you too, Gaige?”

“Dad, I want to tell you something, I--  _ Gaige and I _ saw you in the restaurant, and, um, you know that I’m an adult now, but I feel wrong not telling you that Gaige and I are engaged…” Angel starts, and she can’t seem to keep her focus on Jack, who’s leaning against the counter, his hand gripping the surface at every word. Gaige smiles, and it’s a wide grin like a cheshire cat.

 

“No pun intended, haha! Get it?” Gaige laughed a bit and held Angel’s hand, rubbing her thumb across it, comforting Angel. Jack’s expression is stern for a moment and he exhales sharply, allowing himself to take in the sudden news. Angel seems more nervous than usual, and Jack notices something, the little robot wasn’t with her. 

 

“Okay, okay, you’re an adult, Angel, there’s nothing I can do about this, but I wish that you’d have talked to me about this. I didn’t even know that you were dating her, let alone engaged.” Jack’s expression falters for a moment, and Angel notices that he seems to be really upset about it. “Where’s Gortys? You didn’t get rid of her, did you? Because if you did, that’s going to hurt me even more.”

 

“Nah, Gortys is with Deathtrap. Not a problem, they get along,” Gaige says, and she’s still smiling. “So, pops, can we get your blessing? I wanna make sure that Angel here is niiiiiice and happy for the rest of her life.” And now Gaige smiles toward Angel, who blushes and smiles back at her. 

 

“You love her?” Jack looks directly into Angel’s eyes, and as Angel begins to nod, he snaps, “Use your words, baby, I want to hear you tell me that you love her.”

 

“I do, I love her so much,” Angel says, and Jack smiles at her and walks over to the girls. He pulls the two of them into a group hug and he kisses Angel on top of the forehead. His eyes sting and he feels like he’s going to cry, but he doesn’t. The embrace lasts for a long time, and Jack waves the girls goodbye before going back inside and locking up the door again. 

 

Before long, Jack’s sitting in the recliner, his feet up, and he’s dozing off, his mind roaming between his daughter’s engagement and what Rhys had said earlier that day. He shakes himself awake and reaches for his phone, sending Rhys as goodnight text, though he didn’t expect a response, and on the other end of the text, Rhys is eating a bowl of ramen and watching as his screen lights up.

 

The younger man smiles and text Jack back, and before he realizes it, he’s sent Jack a text that says that he loves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * so terribly sorry for such a long delay! i didn't intend to take such a long break! i still have a lot of things going on, but i'm here. i've also made a new [tumblr](https://eridi-um.tumblr.com) account that you can follow me on!


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